Grass roots movement wants the air cleared on coal-fired plants

Santo Domingo.- The civic movement Toy Jarto (I’m fed up) on Tuesday said it wants Dominican Republic’s State-Owned Electric Utility (CDEEE) to explain how it will manage the coal-fired plants now being built by the Brazilian contractor Odebrecht.

Toy Jarto spokesman Alvaro Caamaño said it’s unclear how the utility will manage the two plants of 300 megawatts each, slated to be operational by 2016.

"We don’t want an investment of more than 1.5 billion dollars (RD$64.5 billion) to become another State-owned company with the purpose of providing employment for the ruling party’s (PLD) little buddies, affecting its profitability and effective performance, so it’s transparent management plan is imperative," Caamaño said.

Toy Jarto (but I believe in my country) said the power plants’ cost is cause for concern since it will indebt future generations of Dominicans.

“Since Odebrecht won the tender by forfeit the Dominican people didn’t have the chance to compare the plants’ cost effectiveness, for which we demand the hiring of an internationally recognized company to evaluate the costs presented by the aforementioned contractor.”